DOI: 10.1089/obe.2009.0612 © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. December 2009 Obesity and Weight Management 299

WebWatchHealthy Lifestyle Websites for Children

WebWatch

Web Program Expect To Find Potential Drawbacks

Rachael Ray’s Yum-O Cook, Feed, Fund

www.yum-o.org

“Empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking.”

• Kitchen know-how • Contains information on how to get a kitchen set up and

ready for cooking

• Recipes that combine taste with health

• A spot to submit your own recipes

• Garden Fresh • Recipe ideas for cooking produce that is in season

• Games about food in the form of trivia and matching

• Very busy Web page. It could be difficult for some to navigate.

Center for Science in Public Interest

www.smartmouth.org

Informative Website explaining the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods.

• Fun activities for kids to participate in

• Links to other Websites promoting a healthy lifestyle

• A calculator to help determine how the participant’s snack foods and fast foods add up throughout the day

• “Snacktoids”: Different tidbits about random food facts

• Link to “Take Action” Center for Science in Public Interest

• Recipes for healthy meals

• Access to “Bogus” food industry claims

• Brain Teasers about healthy food

• Video clips about fatty foods

• View different publications on healthy eating

• Might need to download media player applications in order to view the video clips.

• Video clips are very tiny and hard to view.

• The “Smart Mouth” character might be slightly frightening for younger children.

• The Web page is very cluttered.

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The Presidents Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

www.fitness.gov

• Main audience is caregivers and educators

• Link to find out about the council and its work

• View various publications

• President’s challenge area has links for: • Kids 6–12 years old • Teens 13–17 years old • Available awards to purchase and give out to participants • Activity log • Tools to help calculate BMI • Ideas to get active • Ability to form a group to challenge each other

• Has a couple links for kids, but not a kid friendly Website.

• If one decides to participate in the program and give out special presidential awards, the awards must be purchased.

The USDA’s MyPyramid.gov for preschoolers and older kids

www.mypyramid.gov/preschoolers

www.mypyramid.gov/kids

• My Pyramid for Preschoolers (ages 2–5 years); geared toward the caregiver

• Customized my pyramid plan

• Grow Up Healthy link: • Tools that can be used to assess if a child is growing

at a “normal” and healthy rate • Explanations of growth charts • What Influences growth

• Try new foods: help for picky eaters

• Food safety rules

• Kitchen activities for preschoolers

• My Pyramid for Kids (ages 6–11 years)

• My Pyramid Blast Off game • Great interactive game to help kids learn about nutritious

food choices

• My Pyramid for Kids’ poster • Two-sided poster: 1 side for younger children and the other

side for advanced elementary students

• Tips for families • Two-sided my pyramid “mini-poster” with my pyramid for

kids on one side and healthy eating and physical activity tips on the other side

• Step-by-step explanation of my pyramid

• Coloring pages

• Kids meal tracking worksheet • Kids can match up their food choices with my pyramid

recommendations

• Classroom materials. Provides a link to USDA’s Team Nutrition website

• Did not find any drawbacks. This is a great resourceful Website.

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Web Program Expect To Find Potential Drawbacks

Healthy Kids Challenge

www.healthykidschallenge.com

Free to sign up

Mission: “Help people take action for kids to eat, move, and enjoy a healthy balance.”

• Resource for school community, business and health leaders

• Nonprofit organization run by Registered Dietitians who have years of school program and community wellness experience

• Offers solutions through workshops, events, toolkits, website, newsletter, and programming

• Teaching tool box

• Various programs for children to be involved in • Dance for health • Kids recipe contest • Various events • Training • Partners in Health

• Website geared toward adults.

• Many of the services come at a price. Not a great resource for free materials.

• Must purchase tools and training in order to promote program.

Fruits and Veggies; More Matters™

www.foodchamps.org

• Fun interactive site for kids • Kids are able to create usernames and a character • Fun and games for ages 2–5 years or 6–8 years, artwork,

coloring sheets • Recipes: Fun printable recipe cards • Activity pages

• Art work that is submitted does not have a lot to do with food or healthy eating.

• Only one of the recipes offered involved vegetables. The rest involved fruit.

Washington Apples®

www.bestapples.com/kids

• Visit with Crispy the Apple while he talks about the different parts of the website

• Very colorful kid-friendly Web page

• Fun Facts trivia about apples

• “Kids Eye View” Contest to win a free T-shirt

• “Crispy’s Kitchen”: Various apple recipes

• Teacher’s Corner • Coloring pages • The story of Johnny Appleseed • Apple nutrition • Games • Brochures and posters

• A few of the recipes in “Crispy’s Kitchen” are not entirely healthy (Easy Caramel Apples)

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General Mills®

www.eatbetterearly.com

• Geared toward the caregiver

• Simple recipes that use WIC approved foods • Sorted into categories: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack,

and desserts

• Nutrition Resources; Links to: • Mypyramid.gov • Nutrition tips to help your child grow while developing

healthy eating habits and maintain a healthy weight • Basic cooking tips and hints to make a parent’s time and

effort in the kitchen less stressful and more effortless. • Related Links such as: 2005 dietary guidelines, American

Academy of Pediatric, Whole grains Council, Fruit and Veggies-More matters.

• Sponsored by General Mills. Many of the recipes call for specific name brand foods. However, many of the name brand foods may be substituted with other brands.